Marathoners Hit The Beach

Weekend focus On tap

A small but dedicated group of runners will head for Cocoa Beach on Sunday to test their endurance. They will be lining up at 8 a.m. for the 12th annual Spacecoast 50K Ultramarathon.

''Running is a subcultural,'' said Henry Campbell, the 31.07-mile ultramarathon's race director. ''Ultrarunning is a different group altogether.''

Here is a sample of the participants Campbell is talking about: Last year David and Samara Balfour came from New York to be there for the event. This year they are going to run it. Samara, 53, set a record in Shea Stadium for a woman running a 24-hour race. In 1986 she ran 100 miles in 18 hours, 23 minutes and 54 seconds.

Several people from Orlando are going to attempt it. And a scientist from Gainesville, Dong Ngo, who has completed 19 marathons, will use the race to tune up for the 100-mile Grand Slam.

Jerry Miller, 48, from Boca Raton has done 83 marathons and four ultramarathons. He has a daily running streak of 16 years and five months going. He averages running 200 miles per month.

Campbell said most of the race's runners are not as committed as those folks. Most people, according to Campbell, run on teams where they do one leg and let another runner finish. There are a variety of divisions to showcase talents in this ultramarathon.

So far, entries from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Colorado, Maine and New York have been received. Campbell also has taken several calls from runners in North Carolina. He anticipates there will be 30 participants but ordered enough T-shirts for 50.

Last year's winner was John Bryant of Cassia. He finished the TAC certified course in 4:03.41. The course record is held by Carlos Talbott, a legally blind runner from Miami. Talbott finished the identical course in 3:15.22. The race goes down and back the beach from Sydney Fisher Park in Cocoa Beach to Paradise Park in Melbourne.

There is no late registration fee. It costs $7 to enter. The fee includes a T-shirt, pamphlets on the manatee, alligator and Florida crocodile.

Campbell has records crediting the slowest finish to Linda Johnson from Raleigh, N.C. Johnson ran the race eight years ago and finished in 8:08.

''Directing this race is a lot of fun,'' Campbell said. ''The logistics are mixed. You don't have to worry about traffic because it is run on sand. You have to worry about the tide but you can't do anything about it.''